Employment in energy efficiency is up 6.3% from 2017 to 2018, much faster than the national average growth rate of 3.4%.  Policy Director at E4TheFuture Pat Stanton says those jobs range over various sectors such as construction, manufacturing, and services to track and lower energy consumption.

“There is also a new and emerging field around operating buildings that is very software-intensive, so there is a lot of data,” said Stanton.

More than 2,700 businesses focus on energy efficiency.  The growth means now over 22,000 people work in energy efficiency.  Stanton highlights the role of elected officials in striving for energy efficiency.

“I do think the current mayor of New Orleans has really pushed improving energy efficiency of buildings, particularly residential buildings for low income,” said Stanton.

Stanton says there are various perks to energy efficiency, but the one that gets lots of attention is the monetary savings.

“If you were to switch from traditional lighting to LED lighting, you’ll save by a factor of ten.  For overall buildings, the savings could be from twenty to thirty percent,” said Stanton.

More From 96.5 KVKI